by Will Crudge
“Crimson spec ops!” David scowled. A six-man squad of Crimson troops began to hurl heavy weapons fire towards Kara and her allies. Kara knew from her experience on Clarendon Station that now was the time to keep covering fire laid down... and not to bother asking where Jimma and Sasha were.
The red armor easily deflected most of the hits they took. One soldier seemed to take a more serious hit and hid behind a support beam with his right hand covering his neck. But he fell limp from cover. His or her red armor concealed most of the blood that trickled down from the soldier’s upper body. That’s when Sasha could be seen. The mighty cat launched herself into a full sprint and had to be moving at over one hundred kilometers per hour by the time she collided with another Crimson soldier.
“Shift fire!” David shouted. Kara, the two cops, and the other two UAHC Soldiers complied, and then shifted their covering fire over and to the left of the remaining Crimson troops. This allowed for Jimma to flank them without the risk of friendly fire. The additional volume of fire to the Crimson’s right flank meant that they now had no way to escape without being cut to pieces.
“Shit! Do what the hell she just said!” Griffith spouted, as he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. They began to fall back, after the grenades were in the air. They kept their weapons forward as they scurried backwards toward the main lock.
The Grenades detonated in a random sequence and sent one more spec ops soldier to his death… after a brief flight in the air, and then a red heap of steel and blood impacted the deck plates.
Sasha dispatched the last soldier, but then looked further down the corridor. An ocean of red steel pounded the corridor with heavy boots. Too many to count, but they were too exposed to make a stand.
I see it too, Sasha, Jimma told her, and then grabbed a bloodied heavy ballistic rifle from one of her dispatched foes and blasted a hail of metallic death at full auto. The red horde of armored troops scattered for cover while returning fire at Jimma. But the only target they hit, was the wooden container that Jimma had once stood in front of.
She and Sasha made it across the ocean of bullets that was once a quiet docking corridor and dove behind cover. She looked up to see the enemy troops were occupied with a new foe and had shifted their coordinated fir away from the main airlock.
Cycled her weapon and didn’t take another second to see what had changed with the enemy’s disposition. Sasha came out of cover first and made it inside the airlock. Jimma realized no shots were fired at her companion, and she followed suit.
She almost collided head-on with a platoon of UAHC marines in heavy infantry armor. She stood clear and hugged the bulkhead with her arms splayed out against its surface.
The full faced matte gray helmets revealed no emotion, but an occasional nod of respect came from the troops that filed past her at a fast pace. Jimma fought back the urge to follow them, but she realized she was going to be more of an asset to Kara, and the crew of the Foehammer at this point.
Once the troops all cleared the dock, she linked up with Sasha, and dashed into the excessively ornate lobby of the mighty battlecruiser. She found her group was waiting for her, and she nodded at Kara.
“I can’t believe what I saw out there!” Griffith was speaking while trying to catch his breath. His partner nodded, and then returned to his hunched over position.
“You have no idea, Sergeant,” David said with an approving grin. “You have no idea at all.”
Into Combat
Location: UAHC Headquarters Facility, CIC
Date Time: Post Interstellar 08/03/4201 0643HRS Local
System: Sol System, The Planet Where I Keep All My Stuff
“Sir, we have an urgent data burst from the Hailstorm CIC,” Sam spoke through the intercom of Darius’ quarters. The beastly man rubbed his eyes and lifted his upper body from the mattress.
“Seriously, Sam? When it’s just you and me, you can dispense with the pleasantries.” The Fleet Marshall yawned the words and then gave his eyes a follow-on rub. Had he not been equipped with optical implants, then regaining his focus would have been a chore.
“Just trying to get adjusted to my new role, dear.” Sam sent him a digital wink to his neural interface. The sudden visual stimuli almost made him wince.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Ten hours.”
“Ten hours!” Darius shook his head. He’d been running on empty… and running without the aid of the chemical cocktail that his armor would inject into him when he was fatigued. Perhaps choosing to not wear his armor wasn’t the best decision, after all. He’d elected to project an image of formality to his command staff. He’d figured it would help ease the cultural transition from the old command structure, to one that actually had commissioned officers.
“I would have let you sleep longer, but this is kind of a big deal.” Sam’s tone transitioned back to a more professional one.
“Patch it through, Sam.” Darius fought to force the words through another long yawn.
Fleet Admiral, this is Rear Admiral John. Crimson special operations units are actively engaging UAHC personnel on Tangine Station. We anticipated this, and I’ve pre-positioned marines and ground pounders to fend off the assault. We’ve taken some casualties, and I am forced to withdraw our personnel back to the ship. I intend to undock and position the Hailstorm into a defensive posture. The General and I agree that the Crimson are tipping their hand to take our focus off of the hyper gates. I fear that Crimson Fleet forces may be coming through at any time. Pending your orders, we’ll stand and fight to the last. We are the last line of defense of the Sol System. John, out.
Darius wasn’t surprised. He was already struggling to recall any fleet forces he could contact to counter this threat. The Crimson agents had likely been infiltrating key deep space stations for some time. Sabotage wouldn’t make sense.
Darius felt Shadow’s mind stirring. “You know what we have to do, don’t you?”
The big cat yawned as he stretched, and then rose to a standing position. “I know what you intend to do. I’d better relieve myself now because the Doom-Raptor will smell less than pleasant otherwise.
“Yes, I suppose that’s prudent.” Darius smiled, and began getting dressed. By the time he was fully clothed in his sub armor, something entered his field of awareness. “Do you feel that?”
“Of course I do.” Shadow lumbered over to the door. He used a surprising amount of dexterity while using his gigantic paw to manipulate the door control pad.
The pad blinked green and the door slid open. Darius turned to see two huge panthers waiting. They looked far slenderer than Shadow and walked with a palpable female swagger. All three cats smiled and purred. Shadow purrs? Darius thought.
“Please let me introduce my mate, Sheba,” Shadow spoke with a sense of pride. But neither cat waited for a response and were busy nuzzling each other. Darius couldn’t help but smile. So large and deadly but yet so sweet and fluffy. He forced himself not to giggle.
“And who might this other gorgeous lady be?” Darius was now in full flirt mode, but the other cat was more than receptive to his words. She smiled and bowed.
“Forgive my manners!” Shadow interjected. “This is my grandmother, Shade!”
“Grandmother? You’ve got to be kidding, right? You all look the same age!” Darius meant it as an extension of a compliment, but then remembered that Zodiacs didn’t age.
“Yes, I am Shadow’s grandmother.” She smiled, and her expression was that of compassion. “Mate of the heroic, Sundown, mount of Kaylen.”
“Kaylen? You knew Kaylen?” Darius seemed to be star struck with the notion.
“Yes, of course. Shadow did as well, but he may not fully remember it. He was just a cub then.” Sheba, Shadow’
s mate, chimed in.
“Huh! Well, that’s awesome!” Darius couldn’t say another word. He reminded himself that Shade was a widow. Her mate died alongside his charge, the mighty Kaylen.
“Well, I sense our reunion will be short-lived at best,” said Sheba.
Shadow gave a reluctant nod. “Yes. There’s a battle brewing in the heart of Sol. It would seem the Crimson Fleet has a very short window of opportunity to secure an all-out victory. Darius’ unique command ability will need to be brought to bear.”
Darius felt the intensions of his paired mount. It would seem Shadow wasn’t showing any sort of deceit. The newly anointed Fleet Marshall had only just been an honorary Gunnery Sergeant a short time prior. A Gunnery Sergeant in an inactive status at that. He never truly grasped what his purpose was on a conscious level. Deep down he knew what it was and could make peace with it. He wasn’t sure if it was the mental link he’d shared with Shadow, Val, or even Jep and Growl. But now it was time, he supposed, to embrace his role fully.
The first of his genetic type to have Val’s fully developed genome. Not even the legendary Kaylen had Darius’ level of potential. Not to mention, Darius’ genetic heritage required no intervention to draw out his full potential. From what he was told, even Val’s genes required a millennium of manipulation to blossom. But the humble Soldier’s genes blossomed on their own. They developed, adapted, and flourished—and most of that had occurred in the last few weeks. It was as if the universe needed him to be what he would become at the right moment in time. The Fleet Marshall was never truly religious, but neither was he an atheist. Now he knew something was working through him. He was being forged like a weapon from raw materials. A weapon that humanity needed now. Now he stood alone in among his genetic brothers and sisters of the War Master Guild. The only one who could use Nano-tech within his body, the only one who could accept a neural interface. Now he was the complete package. The abstract mental prowess of a master of war, but with the technologic interface to command modern military forces seamlessly. Now I understand why the War Masters served as advisors. They took command of troops and ships when the situation warrants such action but their best contribution was their guidance and wisdom.
“Darius?” Shadow spoke up. “I know what’s flowing through your head. Trying to reconcile your inner thoughts with your sense of external reality. You’ll triumph. You have to.”
“Did you just read his thoughts, Shadow?” Shade asked. The elder of the three cats seemed to pick up on the unusually deep connection that the pairing had.
“Yes. Yes, he did.” Darius said, and petted Shadow’s back. “It would seem my gifts work both ways. The longer we stay paired, the deeper it goes. I suppose it’s supposed to be this way. If my main purpose is command, then having Shadow to help keep my mind grounded in a deep state will be critical.”
“That’s unprecedented, to say the least. Kaylen and Sundown had the deepest connection of any pairing to date. Which is why I’m here, actually. This Peterson, I’m told, is Kaylen’s scion. Therefore, I’m the best option to pair with him,” Shade said.
“Pair? I was of the understanding you were going to assist with his healing. He’s been drawing his energy from his twin brother but given the vast distance he is from his twin, it’s been agonizingly slow.” Darius supposed.
“Yes. It would seem that these two men have a link that’s similar to what Kaylen and his brother, Kayne had. The rest of our kind have to be reasonably close to even sense each other, but linking our minds requires a closer proximity even still. The twins share identical DNA. It’s almost akin to a naturally occurring QET.” Shade surmised.
“So, mental quantum entanglement?” Darius asked.
“Precisely. It almost killed Kaylen. His brother became drunk with the additional strength he could glean from his younger brother, even before he knew how to control it. The power consumed him, in the end… but not before causing a permanent change in their genome. That’s what eventually made Kaylen so legendary. After his brother passed into the next dimension, their combined life force shifted entirely to Kaylen. He went from being a sickly young man, who required long periods in stasis to live through his brother’s raging energy usage, to becoming the strongest War Master ever. Even his genes were permanently altered. They may not be nearly as complete as yours or Val’s, but more so than any other War Master had ever been. He could establish deep connections with Sundown and draw out even more energy at critical moments,” Shade explained.
“So, that’s why he could do such amazing things.” Darius rubbed his chin in deep consideration. “But what kept Kaylen so humble? If what you said was correct, then Kaylen would have become more powerful than his brother ever was and would have been more susceptible to becoming drunk with power.”
“You would think. However, Kaylen’s deep connection with his brother allowed him to experience his brother’s trials and errors first-hand. So, when he did absorb all the energy, he did so with more maturity and humility. Plus, his ability to sync deeper with his mount allowed him to stay more grounded than his brother ever could. His brother’s ego caused him to ignore his own pairing, and he felt the grounding aspect of his pairing was an annoyance, not a strength.”
“Well, then. What can you do for our captive then?” Darius came back to the task at hand.
“I’ll help him heal, of course. But more so, I can help sense his connection to his brother, and possibly interdict. My bond with my late husband has empowered me as the best candidate for this task. I can’t promise you it will be without flaw, but I’m still the best option. If his brother comes… rather, when he comes, we’ll know it. I doubt he will arrive half-cocked either. These two men have never been trained how to use their gifts. They may not be able to harness the raw strength of a War Master, but when rage is involved, we’ll have no idea just how powerful they can become collectively.”
“How is it that they’ve balanced their collective power? Kaylen and his brother were under the guidance of the Guild. These two have been alone.” Shadow asked this time.
“I have no clue. Perhaps their mutual hatred, or even mutual need to survive has forced them to rely on each other. But that’s only a guess,” Shade answered.
“Well, ladies, let’s get you acquainted with Mr. Peterson. Then, I’m afraid, Shadow and I have an LRF-90 waiting for us. We have a battle brewing, and only my bird can get us there in time.” Darius said, then gestured for the three cats to follow him out the door.
***
Darius walked into the CIC to make sure things were in order before he departed for Tangine. The command staff were busy with battle tracking, and the main displays were littered with red icons of known Crimson locations. The red marks were outnumbered by the projected Crimson location icons adorned in a dark amber color. Darius scanned the hyper gate grid schematics that connected all major avenues of approach and connections for every hyper gate and HAL launcher in UAHC controlled space.
He rubbed his chin, and looked at the Alpha training site, known as ‘the box’ colloquially. The Beta site was unoccupied, so he all but ignored it. Three entire battle groups, that boasted three to five squadrons each, had already enacted Tightrope Protocol, and had isolated their subverted AI’s, and were already on the move to the inner stars. The military controlled hyper gate between the Beta site and Forge Station, had been taken off-line by the Crimson agents that occupied the station. It would take nearly a month of slip-space FTL transitions before those forces could be brought to bear against the Crimson fleets. Can’t concern myself with something I can’t control, he thought. That was what he’d learned from Val and Jep.
“Colonel, what’s the status of our forces within Alpha Site?” Darius asked without even looking to the staff officer.
“Sir, the remnants of Broadsword Squadron have linked up with the skeleton crew of 9th Fleet. They’re trying to gather munitions, make needed repairs, and reconsolidate their organization. The Crimson agents haven’t dis
abled the hyper gate that links Alpha Site to Forge. We can only assess that the Crimson personnel on station are either unaware that their 3rd Fleet suffered a defeat, or they never intended to shut it down to begin with. It’s likely that shutting down that one gate may have an undesired effect in their strategy, but right now we haven’t been able to piece it together.” The slender-built Colonel reported.
“Status on Tangine?” Darius asked without taking time to acknowledge the Colonel’s report on Alpha Site. Kara is there. I need to know she’s safe. I can’t focus on the task at hand without worrying about her.
“No change in the overall strategic assessment, sir. We assess at least one full fleet of Crimson ships will converge from multiple incoming gates. The original timeline is unchanged but could be moved up shortly,” The Colonel said.
“Moved up? What makes you say that?” Darius asked. Although he had his own suspicions. His clarity of strategic thought was growing, and he was beginning to piece things together faster than his own command staff could surmise. But he needed to know every detail they had to offer. Even if his emerging abilities to see the situation in real-time, he needed to keep the command staff believing they were still useful. Nobody needs to know what I can do. If the Crimson thought I was this capable, then I would be their biggest target. I can’t command an entire theater of war if I’m on the run.
“Well, sir, the Crimson agents must have anticipated the Hailstorm would be ending its scheduled liberty on station by now. Now having a battleship in their midst must have forced their hand. They’ve attempted to send a spec ops battalion, reinforced by plain-clothed agents, to try and take the ship by force. There’s a major close quarter’s battle going on. Rear Admiral John had suspected that may be the case and staged Soldiers on station ahead of time. The Crimson assault was turned back, but the enemy has regrouped, and are pushing back hard.” The Colonel shook his head.
